Hand corn-planter



(No Model.)

U. SHABFPER. HAND CORN PLANTER.

Patented Nov. 2 4, 1896.-

==llly// 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

URIAS SHAEFFER, or LANCASTER, onIo.

HAND CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,935, dated November24, 1896.

Application filed August 14, 1896. Serial No. 602,753. (N0 model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, URIAS SHAEFFER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Lancaster, in the county of Fairfield and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand Corn-Planters;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hand corn-planters of that classor description in which two staffs are employed pivotally connectedtogether and provided at the lower ends with blades for penetrating theearth, which blades are opened and closed by expanding or contractingthe upper ends of the staffs or handles, which will also feed the grainto the blades.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction ofthe same, whereby I secure important advantages with respecttoefliciency in use.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a handcorn-planter constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is acentral longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectionon the line 00 :0, Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a detail view showing thehopper-lid fastener. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the ringat the bottom of the hopper, and Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of thecasting.

In the said drawings, the reference-numeral 1 designates two shafts orhandles, each consisting of a rectangular wooden strip or board,provided at the lower ends with a rectangular blade 2. Also secured toone of said staffs at opposite sides of the lower end by screws 3 aremetal plates at, which are pivotally connected by a pivot-screw 5 withthe staff. Attached to the under side of one of said stafis about midwayof its height is a casting 6, provided with slots 7 for the passage ofscrew-bolts 8, by which it is secured to the staff. These bolts passthrough the staff and are provided with nuts 9. At its inner side thiscasting is provided with a seed-passage 10, communicating with aninclined seedopening 12 in the staff leading to a seed-spout 13 on theinner side of the staff, which extends down to near the lower endthereof. The said casting is formed at its inner side with a stop-lug 14and an ear 15, for a purpose hereinafter described, and at its center isformed with an upwardly-extending apertured hub 16.

The numeral 17 designates a tapering cylindrical hopper having a slot18, through which and the staif passes a screw-bolt 19, provided with athumb-nut 20 for holding it in place. Secured to the lower end of saidhopper is a bottom consisting of an annular ring 21, provided with lugsthrough which pass screws for securing it to the hopper. This ring isformed with a web or solid portion 23, which is located above thepassage in said casting 6. It is also formed with a curvedstrengthening-arm 24 and an apertured boss 25. At one end the web isformed with a stop-flange 26 and at the other end with a seed cut-off27, consisting of a rectangular block or strip of rubber securedthereto.

A thumb-screw 28 connects the casting and bottom together, and locatedbetween said casting and bottom. is a rotatable seed-disk 28, having anumber of seed-openings therein. This disk is journaled on the hub 16,and its periphery is formed with a number of ratchets 30, with whichengage a pivoted push and a pull pawl or bar 31 and 32, pivotallyconnected with the other stafi or handle, and just between each of saidratchets is a slot or notch 33, for a purpose hereinafter described. Thesaid push and pull bars or pawls are provided near their pivoted endswith lugs 34, with which is connected a coiled spring 35, the tendencyof which is to force said pawls toward each other. The free end of thepull-pawl is formed with a hook 36, which engages with the ratchets ofthe disks to rotate the same, while the other pawl is provided with ahook 37 which presses against the ratchets to also rotate the disk.

The pull-pawl 31, near its free end, is pro ment of the disk. The hook37 will also engage with the lug let to prevent the staffs from beingopened too far, which would have a tendency to strain the parts. The ear15 engages with a slot in the ring or bottom of the hopper and serves tobrace the same.

The numeral 39 designates the hopper-lid, which is secured in place by afastener 40, consisting of a piece of stiff wire of suitable size, bentto form diverging arms 41, loops or eyes 42, which are pivotallyconnected with one of the staifs, and a straight arm 43, adapted toengage under a pin l5, secured to the stafi, whereby the arms 41 attheir junction are caused to bear upon the lid and hold it securely inplace in the hopper, and by disengaging arm 43 from the pin l5 the arm41 can be turned away from the lid, so that it can be removed.

I prefer to place a circular stationary plate 46 between the casting (3and rotatable disk, having a seed opening or hole i7, registering withthe seed-passage in the casting, as seen in Fig. 2.

The operation is as follows: The hopper is filled with corn and theblades are forced into the earth. The upper ends of the staffs orhandles are then contracted, which will spread apart and allow one ormore grains of corn fed from the hopper to be deposited in the ground.The planter is then withdrawn from the ground and the upper ends of thestafis are expanded'to close the blades. This movement will cause thepull-pawl to engage with one of the ratchets of the seed-drill, turningthe said disk, so that one of the seedopenings carrying one or more seedwill register with the seed-passage of the casting 6, feeding them tothe spout, so that they will be deposited in the ground when the bladesare again inserted thereinand spread apart. When the handles arecontracted, the push- WWW pawl will engage with the ratchet-disk and Yrotate the same.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim is 1. In a handcorn-planter, the combination with the staffs pivotally connectedtogether, the blades at the lower ends, the seed-spout, the castingshaving a seed-passage communicating with a seed-opening in one of saidstaffs formed with a lug and an ear, the hopper and the bottom having aslot engaging with said ear, of the stationary seed-plate, the rotatableseed -disk having peripheral ratehets and slots, the push-pawl pivotedto one of the staffs having a hook at the free end adapted to engagewith said lug to limit the outward movement of the staifs, the pullpawlalso pivoted to said staff, having a hook at its free end and a stop-lugnear said end, and the coiled spring connecting said pawls,substantially as described.

2. In a corn-planter, of the character described, the combination withthe pivoted staffs, the hopper and the hopper-lid, of thelid-fastenerconsisting of a piece of wire bent to form two divergingarms, the loops pivotally connected with one of said staffs, thestraight arm and the holding-pin; substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoafi'ixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

URIAS SHAEFFER.

\Vitnesses:

GEORGE J. HAMBERGER, ALEX. FINLEY.

